丨United KingdomLondon

Botanical House

Botanical House

Botanical House will deliver 447 rental homes and it is the first building in Croydon  to achieve

the highest possible sustainability standards including BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating.

Clients

Amro Partners

Information

Location: London Borough of Croydon

Start Date: 2021

End Date: 2023

Specialisms: Build to Rent, Affordable Homes, Public Spaces, Parks & Play, Net Zero & Low Carbon

One Place, Many Stories

Architecture

What types of rental homes will Botanical House offer?

Architecture

How was the consistent language in the façade design and materiality between the tower and mansion block achieved?

Architecture

What sustainable features and technologies will be integrated into the project?

Landscape Design

What is the landscape strategy?

Architecture

What types of rental homes will Botanical House offer?

‘Botanical House’ will deliver 447 new one, two and three-bedroom rental homes, targeting young professionals and families, alongside shared facilities including a roof terrace, gym/wellness centre, cinema room, communal lounge areas, outside play area and co-working spaces. A total of 20% of the apartments will be designated as affordable, available to tenants at below market value via Discounted Market Rent and London Living Rent.

How was the consistent language in the façade design and materiality between the tower and mansion block achieved?

‘Botanical House’ comprises a 36-storey tower and 9 storey mansion building connected via a central entrance pavilion. Key to the design was a cohesive strategy for colour, materiality, grid, and componentry, using a variety of earthy terracotta finishes. Although at contrasting heights, the tower and mansion block share a consistent language in the façade design and materiality, while the crown of the tower establishes a distinct identity.

What sustainable features and technologies will be integrated into the project?

In line with Amro’s Net Zero Carbon 2025 pledge, the project will be the first in Croydon to achieve the highest possible sustainability standards including BREEAM ‘Outstanding’ rating, Fitwel3* certification and WiredScore Platinum – the global digital connectivity and smart technology certification. Taking a retrofit first approach, the basement and ground floor slab of the original hotel building will be retained to save embodied carbon and minimise demolition and subsequent waste on site.

Landscape Design

What is the landscape strategy?

The public realm for Botanical House will achieve a significant 51% biodiversity net gain by creating a large, communal landscaped garden, 50% soft landscaping, and adding 45 newly planted trees and green street frontages, retaining existing street trees.

The green link along Altyre Road will provide a green buffer to the mansion block, scattered with opportunities for play along the way. On Hazledean Road, a verdant garden provides a green outlook to the street frontage and the adjacent Longitude Apartment units. The lusciously planted garden features a playable circular route, an opportunity for a sculptural art form to intertwine with the garden.

Anchoring the building on the corner of Hazledean & Altyre roads, the community facility spills out into the civic community plaza. With fixed seating and a canopy, this space provides flexibility for the needs of the community space. The generous scaling accommodates pedestrian movement and allows additional movable street furniture to activate the corner further.

The private amenity courtyard in the rear provides recreational ‘rooms’ for residents to relax and gather in different settings, including a dining space, a games space and a lounge. Central to the courtyard is a generous recreational lawn with pockets of play.